#capafons

Capafonts, Spain (No. 1)

Capafonts is a village in the province of Tarragona and autonomous community of Catalonia. According to data of 2012 its population was of 121 inhabitants.

Also called Capafons, with traditional spelling, the place name derives from the Latin Capite fontium, "head of the fountains". A total of 53 fountains were recorded, most notably Font de la Llódriga, which never dried.

Prades Mountains, Spain (No. 1)

The Prades Mountains (in Catalan, Muntanyes de Prades)are a mountainous group formed by several mountain ranges that are distributed between the regions of Alto Campo, Bajo Campo, Cuenca de Barberá and the Priory in Catalonia (Spain). They are part of the morphostructural unit of the Catalan Prelittoral Mountain Range.

The mountains occupy an area of 30 726.39 ha (307.26 km²), and reach their maximum level in the Tossal de la Baltasana with 1202.7 m (Bajo Campo). Other notable peaks are the Mola dels Quatre Termes (1120 m) and the Tossal Ras (1087 m). The mountains make up two main parallel mountain ranges that run in a northeast-southwest direction, with a small plateau-shaped cut where Prades sits. This plateau separates the channels of the Brugent (tributary of the Francolí)and Siuranarivers.

Capafonts, Spain (No. 3)

Cal Macià

It is the only house with a historical façade of the village, a building of great historical value of the medieval period, located in the street of the Abbey. This house must have been the power center of Capafonts due to its location in the village, (next to the Abbey and the old Old Church). It has a very interesting façade, built with well-worked ashlars and stonemason’s marks, of the same type as those in the spring ashlars of the Font Vella currently transferred to the stairs of the church when the fountain was dismantled. It should also be noted, the coat of arms above the door of doves, with an inscription and as a heraldic figure contains a pigeon or a blackhead. This has led to the emergence of a tradition-legend that says that Christopher Columbus was born in this house.

The bakery

It is a very interesting anthropological set that allows us to know what a medieval bakery remodeled in the eight hundred was like. Located under the Casa de la Vila is located 2 meters below the street, and the oven is 4 meters in diameter, and still presents the color that has been formed over the centuries. On the first level, there is the kneading machine, a model from the late nineteenth century and that was in service until the end of the activity in 1985. It has 2 engines: one electric and one petrol, which was the only one existing before there was electricity in the village. The blades and utensils needed for the baker’s work are also preserved.

The “Perxo”

This name derives from a porch (or perxo, as it is called in Capafonts) that was formerly in the place where the town square was. A large part of the town’s activity is always concentrated in this square.

Cross on the wall of the Old Cemetery

It is a cross carved into the wall of the old cemetery which can be seen from Carrer Nou. For the model and the way it was sculpted, in relief, it could be a Cathar cross, which would indicate the presence of some Cathar strongholds in the Prades Mountains.

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The cereal was one of the traditional crops of the abandoned village years ago. The importance of this crop, especially wheat, is testimony to the numerous areas that exist. The most important concentration of these can be found in the highest part of the village known as “Les Eres” (with a total of five ages). This concentration is explained by the fact that it is the place of the nucleus where the wind is more frequent and stronger, which is an essential element for the beating of wheat, in the operation of ventar, to separate the grain from the straw. For the nucleus we find many others with the names corresponding to their owners, and almost all have retaining walls, (necessary to build them in places of crack topography), necessary to condition a flat surface large enough, which then remained.

Capafonts, Spain (No. 2)

The village is located on the hill that occupies the central part of the valley. The location on steep terrain explains the unevenness there is. The network of the streets of the village is relatively complex, as corresponds to a population that has been formed with the irregularities of the land. From the entrance of the village, Carrer Nou goes into the Church Square, and continues through the Fonts. These are the main streets of the town, where there is the church, the social premises, the Casa de la Vila, the library, the party room and the retirement home. In Carrer de les Fonts, next to the Casa de la Vila, is the old public square, called the "Perxo". The current village is very different from the old one, but it is unforgettable and certainly original.

Tourist route through the old town of Capafonts

The parish church of Santa Maria

The church is neoclassical in style, with a Latin cross plan, with three naves and a dome. The façade is the most remarkable element of the parish church. The angles, the rose window and the central niche are made of ashlars, while the rest of the masonry. In the central niche is the image of the Virgin Mary that was booted in the 1930s and later returned to its place. The main altar is dedicated to the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, with a mural painted in fresco that occupies the entire wall lock of the apse by the alcoverenc painter Laureà Català, an important artistic element. Currently, we also find that of Sant Abdon and Sant Senén, placed in 1984 in the place that formerly occupied the altar of our Lady of Sorrows.

The bells

There are three bells. The largest weighs 250 kilos, has an extensive inscription that occupies almost the entire exterior surface, and is the one that touches the hours. The average weighs 180 kilos, also has inscriptions with a dedication to Saint Mark in Santa Barbara, author Francisco Badrinas and a year. The smallest one weighs 110 kilos and also has inscriptions. The bells have been a fundamental element of the life of the Capafontins, since, in addition to their primary function, that of calling the faithful to religious services, they have a function of regulating the schedules of the work of the field. In the past, when clocks did not abound, bell ringing warned peasants of lunchtime, or to resume the task.

The Old Pit and the Old Church

The old pit or old cemetery was behind the abbey, and remained intact until 1975, when it was urbanized and destined for a playground. Next to this cemetery was the Old Church. The entrance was located, probably heading north on the opposite side of the cemetery. The abbey, the old church, and the Era del Rector are aligned at the entrance of the village.